1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for effecting an oral treatment of teeth or gums using mouthpiece containing lamps to expose electromagnetic radiation to effect the oral treatment. For instance, the exposure could be to an adhesive whitening gel to whiten teeth. Alternatively, it may be to kill harmful bacteria in the mouth or on or around the gums by exposure to the electromagnetic radiation and thereby prevent periodontal disease. Another oral treatment that can be effected by the exposure of electromagnetic radiation is desensitizing teeth.
2. Description of Related Art
Tooth whitening in the dental office takes up to 2 hours, expensive, is painful and the results will start to regress as early as 7 days after the treatment. Most over-the-counter products are messy, can burn the fingers and the results usually take 7-10 days to see minimal improvement. The consumer needs a customizable whitening approach that gives the same results from professional whitening but at the convenience of the home and with much less money.
Whitening is governed by the concentration of the whitening active and the contact time (i.e., the time the whitening agent is on the teeth). Whitening results are best achieved when there is high frequency of the whitening agent in a safe way and without the need of high concentration whitening agents that can burn the tissue. By increasing the frequency of the whitening by giving the consumer the ability to whiten at home, the regression phenomenon seen with the professional whitening will be eliminated.
It is desired to provide a whitening device that is coupled with a delivery system of the whitening gel and an adhesive that keeps hydrogen peroxide targeted to the area to whiten. Such a whitening device preferably causes no harmful breakdown by-products, and is delivered in a single dose and hygienic way.
In addition, harmful bacteria is responsible for causing gum disease in the mouth. Specifically, the gram negative anaerobic bacteria is responsible. However, such bacteria is killed off from ultraviolet light exposure. It would therefore be desirable for a consumer to expose such bacteria to ultraviolet light on their own without relying on the assistance of professional help to do so.